Space in many ways is truly the final frontier. This is particularly true for those searching for new markets and business opportunities in select commercial operations. Space is not only one of the last truly new markets, but one of the most difficult to commercially exploit as the road to successful commercial space based enterprises is littered with failed endeavors and enterprises. While access and indeed travel to space is now many decades old, there are but a few systematic approaches to commercial operations in space. Indeed, beyond telecommunications there are very limited commercial efforts in space.
The past growth of satellite use in space has followed a path that actually retards the exploitation of this market. In particular, satellite technology has focused on developing large payloads and expensive launch equipment designed to last long periods of times—over a decade in some instances. This is based in part on the cost of building and launching a satellite which is easily in the millions of dollars and thus must be amortized over many years of life. This however creates a serious barrier to commercial exploitation as most satellites are based on computer and telecommunication technologies that are changing rapidly—and this rate of change is accelerating. A satellite launched five years ago is using technology that may be three generations out of date, leaving a platform that is quickly becoming obsolete.